Moving On
by AshleyIsNoRobot
Summary: Will and Emma hit some bumps in the road and their relationship is too strained to continue. Watch how they move on and meet other people. Will/OC, Emma/OC, with appearances by other cast members. Reviews are welcome.
1. Chapter 1 Emma's POV

Emma Pillsbury's day-to-day routine had altered drastically since Sue Sylvester had convinced her to publicly confront Will Schuester about his gallivanting with the coach of Vocal Adrenaline and April Rhodes. Before, he had dropped by during all of his free periods, made a point to swing around after school, sit with her in lunch and even sometimes slip little notes in her box of sanitary wipes. He'd call at night, he'd invite her over for a PB&J, and even with the established no-dating rule, they were always best friends. Always. But now? Now, he merely stopped by perhaps once a week to make sure she was alright. There was no longer the smile in his eyes; that had extinguished along with the realization that she wasn't childishly smitten with him any longer (or didn't appear so). Their chats lasted for no longer than fifteen minutes each, during which she would update him on her therapy sessions, he would let her know how his divorce was going, and they would delve into a discussion on the Glee kids. Neither would crack a full, genuine smile and at the end of the day, both were forced to come to terms with the fact that nothing could be done to repair their fractured relationship in order to receive that fitful night's sleep.

Thankfully, Sue Sylvester's piece of information had angered her and softened the overall blow of the sudden absence of the man in her life. This definitely proved helpful as summer rolled around, as she spent three months with nothing but one measly phone call from him on her birthday in July. Her psychiatrist had helped her move right along. Over the three months of solitude, the numbness within Emma had ceased, along with the majority of her tears and the reliving of pleasurable memories with the man.

September rolled around and she was, as per usual, completely prepared, though this time she was emotionally equipped for the impending blows as well. The first few days were reserved for teachers only and were packed full of meetings and the preparation of lesson plans; being a mere guidance counselor, half of the meetings didn't pertain to her (for they focused on Ohio's board of education requirements of the criteria each class was supposed to cover), and so she spent most of the time in her office, cleaning.

Man, a lot of dust could collect in three months time. The janitors did a rather shotty job. Then again, Emma was painfully aware that the budget cuts had forced Figgins to let people go, which meant that the janitorial staff was lacking.

It was the second day and she had seen Will exactly four times; one, when he placed a glee signup sheet outside of her office (and she hid behind a filing cabinet to avoid being seen), two times in meetings, and a final time when they had both turned down the same hallway and simply murmured passing "hello's". Still, she kept telling herself that it was alright and, as far as she was concerned, it was.

Seated at her desk, Emma reached forward and straightened out the stapler, aligning it with the tape dispenser. She cleared her throat and pushed a curl out from in front of her face, glancing up as someone knocked on her office door. The corners of her lips quipped downwards as she noticed Will standing there sheepishly, though she was quick to recover, forcing a small, polite smile on her face, nodding.

The door creaked open and he mumbled a "hi", shutting it behind him and taking a seat, as he used to, across her desk.

"Hi," she greeted nonchalantly, averting her gaze downward; butterflies had erupted within the pit of her stomach and her heart was beating nine miles per hour. Well, no one said she was completely over the man. "How, uhm, h-how was your summer?"

"Lonely," he answered immediately, not taking his eyes off of her face for a moment, "I thought I'd, uhm. Come eat lunch with you, if… If that's okay? You didn't come eat with the rest of us yesterday, so I figured you'd be eating in here." He smiled softly, and she forced herself to continue looking away.

"I was cleaning, and I w-wasn't very hungry," she responded, pumping hand sanitizer into her hand and rubbing them together quickly (a nervous habit she had acquired long ago). Then, daring to look up, Emma continued, "I don't have much of a reason to go into the teacher's lounge anymore, anyways."

Will closed his eyes for a moment to take in the hidden meaning behind that comment before continuing, "I missed you this summer."

"Really now?" Upon the realization that she had said that with an edge to her voice, she winced and backed down, taking a deep breath to continue, much softer, "I never would have guessed that, considering the fact that I came home every night with nothing to listen to on the answering machine."

It was like she had punctured a hole in his spirit and let out all of his hope, and that was displayed by his falling face. "I'm really sorry, Emma."

She shook her head fervently. "I don't want to hear it, Will. I can't… Do it this year."

He opened his mouth to question but closed it immediately, instead nodding. "I can't blame you. Just… You know where to find me, if you need anything."

Emma bit her lip for a moment, though couldn't bring herself to speak. She nodded instead, and Will took that as his cue to leave the office. It wasn't until the door slammed closed that she bowed her head and let a tear escape.

Maybe she couldn't do this.


	2. Chapter 2 Will's POV

**A/N: Hey guys. (: Thanks to those who have read and reviewed so far. People keep asking me if they're going to end up together romantically, and to answer honestly, I don't know. My original plan was that they wouldn't, however the reviews seem to suggest that I'd get some haters out there if that was the case, haha, so I thought about it for awhile and came up with a few possible scenarios. I've decided that I'm just going to write and see how the whole thing plays out -- so their status by the end is as much your guess as it is mine. Thanks for the reviews, by the way!**

**I don't like this as much as I liked chapter one, unfortunately, but ah well.**

The hallways, Will observed as he left Emma's office, were empty.

Or, rather, they _felt_ empty. A few stray members of the faculty lingered about and passed right by him, but he still felt undeniably alone. His best friend was gone and it was completely his fault -- what had he been thinking? That she needed the time? That the summer would heal the wounds? Clearly not. Absence makes the heart grow fonder - why hadn't he thought of that in the first place? He hated that he hurt her. He was such an idiot.

But he couldn't provide her what she wanted. What she needed. While the potential was certainly there, he did not yet love her. Furthermore, Terri was dragging him through divorce court by the throat, taking almost everything he had, and he often ended his days miserable and irate. That wouldn't make Emma very happy, he was sure.

It was strikingly obvious that this year was off to a bad start, and upon that realization he frowned, quickening his pace. A deafening tone halted everyone in their tracks and he winced, cocking an eyebrow up at the loudspeaker located directly above his head. "Mr. Schue," boomed the principal, "my office. Now."

"Douche bag," Sue Sylvester murmured nonchalantly as she strolled by.

Will frowned, rolling his eyes at the Cheerios coach. He wasn't sure what he had managed to screw up so early on, but curiosity carried him the entire way to the office where he paused before Figgins. Nothing about the layout of the room had changed, and as usual, the man was seated in his black swivel chair. In one of the two chairs in front of the desk sat a nervous-looking female, who was biting heavily on her bottom lip as she glanced up at him.

"Schue," Figgins greeted absentmindedly, "This is your new Glee Club accompanist."

Will sank down into the chair next to the woman, eyebrows furrowed in curiosity. "What happened to Brad?"

"Brad attempted to pursue his mime career and had a nervous breakdown in the middle of a performance. No one knew he was actually hyperventilating until he had passed out. This," he gestured to the woman again, "this is Lorelai Anchors."

Will offered the woman an amiable smile and extended a hand in her direction. He looked her over, noting the way her own hand shook as she reached up, how small it was compared to his, and how weak her grip was. She looked pale and scrawny, as though she would snap if she were squeezed hard enough. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Will Schuester."

She smiled, then, genuinely, and shook his hand. "I-it's n-nice to meet you," she responded quietly.

"Schue," Figgins interjected, "Take Miss Anchors around and show her the robes. I want your Glee Club to start ASAP this year -- placing second at Nationals was good, but let's get first this year."

Will smiled, noting the flash of fascination in Lorelai's blue eyes (wide eyes at that, which reminded him heavily of Emma -- he pushed that thought quickly from his mind) and shook the principal's hand as he stood. "I plan on it."


	3. Chapter 3 Lorelai's POV

**A/N: I try and outline the appearance as best as I can, haha, but I don't do the hottest of jobs. So, for those of you who like a sort of visual reference, Lorelai strikingly resembles Zooey Deschanel. Just… Paler. And more frail. **

**As for the comments regarding my last A/N, concerning whether or not Wemma end up together, I know it sounds like I'd only do it to cater to the audience but I am truly on the fence about it. I have a rather cute idea but it'd depend on how long I keep this up.**

**Reviews fuel my muse! Keep 'em coming.**

Lorelai was terrified. She shouldn't have been, considering where she had come from, but she found herself sitting in the principal's office wearing an expression that would suggest that she were a student in some serious trouble. She watched, petrified, as Figgins called down someone with the last name of 'Schue'. By the time she heard the door behind her swing open again, she was shaking quite noticeably, trying her hardest to evade the cocked eyebrow of the foreign principal. The moment she heard the man named 'Schue' speak, she was tugging on the hem of her white cloth dress and chewing harshly on her bottom lip.

She forced a smile and only came crashing back into reality when she saw Will's hand move in her direction, and she dared to release the comfort of her attire to hesitantly reach up and take his hand. She was consoled by his gentle grip and relaxed, shaking his hand. "I-it's n-nice to meet you," she choked out.

Her attention wandered again until 'second place' and 'nationals' registered, and she glanced over at the Glee Club advisor beside her, the corners of her lips quipping slightly upwards, more genuine. One of her favorite things in the world happened to be hearing success stories of High School students. It was probably because she had been a dead beat back in her school days; it took much to snap her out of it and by that time, it had been too late. She had been reduced to nothing more than this.

In fact, all she really had was her music, despite how cliché that sounded. She was, first and foremost, a banjo player. Back in New York (where she had lived for five years prior to moving to Lima three days ago), she'd spend the majority of her days sitting on the same bench in Central Park, playing the instrument (which she had affectionately named 'Louis'). Lorelai had started to play at the age of six, only allowed by her parents with the promise that, at age nine, she would pick up the piano as well. Against her will, she obliged, and grew to love it after a couple of years. She never had been able to afford a piano after leaving home -- her only job was street-performing, after all, considering she had multitudes of trouble keeping anything else long-term. She had, however, managed to charm an elderly owner of a quaint music shop to let her practice as she pleased, and therefore her skills were up-to-date enough to qualify her for the job.

"Ready?" Will asked, and as Lorelai looked up, she noticed that he was standing by the door. She bit her lip and nodded, offering a thank you towards the principal before sweeping past him, and out the door. She paused, unsure of where to turn, and looked back as she felt a hand brush the small of her back as he pointed to the right.

"You don't have to be so nervous," he responded, noting her overall demeanor with a chuckle, "You look like you're about to cry. I promise -- the only two people you have to worry about here are Sue Sylvester and Brenda Castle, and the two of them have been going at it enough that they have very little time to bother anyone else." He offered her a smile, reaching around to clasp his hands behind his back. "I apologize, I'm not prepared. I didn't even know that we had a new Glee accompanist. Where did you work before?"

It took Lorelai a moment to process his words, and therefore there was a near five second delay before she responded. "I d-didn't," she answered finally, "work anywhere else before, I mean. I, uhm. I just moved here, actually."

"Oh, really? From where?"

She bit her lip and followed him past a gangly man standing by a bulletin board and around the corner before chirping, "N-New York City. M-Manhattan, to be exact."

His eyes widened as he looked in her direction. "Manhattan? As in… Manhattan?" he asked, voice filled with fascination, "Why would you leave that and come here?"

Lorelai bit her lip. "Couldn't afford it," she responded quietly.

"I've always wanted to live there," Will beamed, "I'm so incredibly jealous of you right now." With a laugh, she shook her head and followed him into the choir room.


	4. Chapter 4 Seth's POV

**Let's see, going off of the whole appearance thing, Seth resembles Anthony Rapp.**

**Keep the reviews comin'. (:**

His failure seemed to echo off of the empty hallway walls. Only Seth Hall could manage to get lost in a school like William McKinley, and he had finally opted to just stand there, staring at the bulletin board, wallowing in self pity, and looking quite stupid. He cursed himself for not sucking up his pride quickly enough to ask directions from the two chatting staff that had just rounded the corner -- now he'd have to go seek someone out.

Shifting his hand through his blond, scruffy hair, he frowned pitifully and started off in a random direction. He was just hired in as the school's English teacher and yet he couldn't even find his office, let alone his classroom -- how he'd ever manage the school year was beyond him.

Seth paused, gaze falling on the glass window of someone else's office, movement inside catching his eye. He stood there for a moment, staring inside, until he comprehended that if whoever was inside noticed him, they'd write him off as a creepy lunatic right off the bat. He took a deep breath and approached the door, knocking twice and entered upon hearing the woman inside chirp "come in".

He could see the confusion on her face and his cheeks burned bright red, brighter than the color of her hair. "I-I, uhm," he began, averting his gaze downward, "H-hi. I'm Seth Hall, and I, uhm. I can't, er, f-find my classroom."

He noted the hesitation in her eyes as she stood, though a smile had appeared on her lips by the time she stopped before him. She was noticeably smaller than he was; despite the fact that he was stick-thin and scrawny, he was over six feet tall and she couldn't have been any larger than 5'4.

"Hi, Seth. It's nice to, uhm, meet you. I-I'm Emma Pillsbury, the school's guidance counselor. And, uhm, what do you teach?" Seth blinked. Her voice was absolutely adorable -- as were her eyes. Oh.

It took him a few seconds to gather himself enough for a reply. "English," he nodded, smiling awkwardly, "I have a few Senior classes and two Advanced Placement."

"Oh! You took over for Ms. Handlin. Right, okay, uhm… Here, I'll walk you. It's on the, uhm, other side of the building. Have you found your office alright?"

Emma left the office and he quickly followed, lingering a few steps behind her. "I-I, uhm, y-yes…" She cocked an eyebrow in disbelief, peering back at him, and his shoulders sank. "No."

She couldn't help but laugh in response, clasping her hands in front of her. "It's okay. My first day, I, uhm. I ended up sitting in someone else's office. The Spanish teacher's office, actually."

Seth watched as the smile slightly faded from her face. He liked her smile -- he wanted it to reappear as soon as possible. With a lopsided grin, he stopped as she did when they reached an empty office. "And now you're a pro at getting around this place. Guess that means there's still hope for me."


	5. Chapter 5 Emma's POV

The lopsided smile on his face reminded Emma of Will's, and she immediately felt a pang of emotion in the pit of her stomach. This stranger looked nothing like the foreign language teacher, however -- Seth was cute, nevertheless, with his nerves and fear evident in his large, brown eyes. She watched as he made the effort to cheer her up, and she smiled in response. "There's certainly hope for you. And if you keep getting lost, everyone around here is friendly." Except Sue, she thought silently, but she didn't have the heart to drop that ball on the boy just yet. "So, you can ask anyone."

"So everyone's this friendly?" He pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, grinning. "I just thought I got lucky when I decided to ask you."

For one reason or another, she grinned and blushed. To cover up the slip, she turned to face the office they had just approached, gesturing towards it. "This is your office."

"I've never had an office before," he mused, giddiness resonating in his smile and voice, "back at my old school, we just had our classrooms. I worked in, uhm, Indiana before this."

"Really?" she asked curiously, eying his hand as he pulled out a set of keys, unlocking the office and entering it. She followed him and lingered in the doorway, interested in the excitement and fascination reflected in his eyes as he looked around. "I couldn't possibly imagine not having my, uhm, solitude."

"You like being alone?" he asked, turning around to face her, "That's odd. You seem so… Amicable. I'd even go so far as to dub you my first friend, here." Probably a bit too far, she agreed silently, but she was completely open to a new friend. She needed someone there to make the school days more bearable, and this Seth fellow seemed kind.

She blushed again, an even brighter rouge, and pushed a curl behind her ear. "It's uhm. Well. Not everybody here likes me." Why the hell would she say that? That was… Dumb. It wasn't as though she was disliked, not really. People tended not to mind her, aside from being somewhat unnerved by her OCD. Ken hated her, for good reason, and Sue just hated everyone, but other than that she simply stayed out of everybody's way. Since the debacle with Will, she had taken to eating lunch in her respective office and she didn't much talk to anybody else. Emma had problems with thinking that everybody judged her based on her disorder and didn't like to risk anything. She was stunningly aware that her statement probably came off as whiny, and she cleared her throat, frowning down at her shoes.

"Really?" he asked, "that's… Surprising. Maybe it's because I've only just met you, but I can't see why anyone wouldn't like you." He grinned again, and she bit her lip.

"Should we, uhm, go find your classroom now?"

**Two chapters in one day, woah! (: Sorry, they're getting short.**

**Reviews are loved, guys! I'm curious to see what everyone things of Lorelai and Seth -- granted, there's not much revealed about them now, but as they appear more and more, well.**


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